Thursday, October 18, 2007

First Mittens

I recently knit my first pair of mittens. Mittens are so quick to knit and so easy, I knit three! Actually, I didn't knit three because it was so fun. I knit three because I messed up the increases on the first one and it was so much uglier than the second one that I felt obligated to make a replacement.

talkingmittens.jpg

There is a trick to making pretty increases that I had forgotten. When you increase, to avoid having big, gaping holes where you did your increases, you have to knit through the back of the loop, to twist the hole closed. You don't see holes in my ugly mitten because I went in and darned them closed. But it still looks lumpy and ugly.

increases.jpg

I knit these with double strands of yarn. One yellow and one cream-colored. The pattern of which color shows is completely random. I did the thumbs a different color under Vigo's design guidance. You might also notice that one of the mittens has a longer cuff than the others. That's because I was daydreaming.

To make these mittens, I used the recipe from Knitty. I love their basic recipes.

7 comments:

  1. Very nice and funny post which I did not fully understand (increase? loop? cuff?).
    If I wanted to knit something and never have, how should I get started?

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  2. http://www.knittinghelp.com/
    I like the how-to knit videos on this site. I used them to learn how to cable.
    http://knitting.about.com/od/learntoknit/Learn_to_Knit_Basic_Knitting_Skills.htm
    Lots of links here.
    There's a Paris Knitting Meet Up. This could be a great way to meet women!
    http://knitting.meetup.com/1140/members/
    Christophe could teach you.
    Phildar has classes:
    - A Paris, "Phildar", aux Galeries Lafayette Haussman : pour 5 euros de l'heure, vous pourrez apprendre le tricot le jeudi (15h30, 16h30,17h30 ou 18h30) ou le samedi (10h30, 11h30 ou 15h). Inscriptions : 01 45 96 36 58.
    You could ask a French Knitting Blogger
    http://thalie.canalblog.com
    http://tricotfrankenstein.blogspot.com/
    Here's a French knitting community of some kind
    http://www.elletricoteaparis.com/

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  3. Wow, thanks. OK, I'll start with the meetup, because it sounds easiest and most fun if I show up and some kind soul can lend me thread and two needles and show me the basic moves (but hey, what makes you think I want to meet women? god forbid! I just want to learn how to knit. seriously. SERIOUSLY! ok, believe what you will :-D)

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  4. I recommend showing up with your own yarn and needles. It's the minimum investment to appear at all serious about learning.
    Choose a yarn you like and on the packaging of the yarn you will find the needle size to buy. Your mom could probably give you a pair of needles.

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  5. uh-oh
    I fear I may not be at all serious enough...
    oh well

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  6. I went to the Paris Meetup last night and it was very fun and instructive. I bought needles and a ball of yarn at Printemps beforehand (thanks, I wouldn't have thought of bringing the equipment). The organizer sat next to me and taught me very expertly and patiently.
    I was very tired due to a few consecutive nights of not enough sleep, but I eventually picked up some basics: the "long tail hang" (?), and I knit two rows.
    (Just curious, do you use the German (continental) or English method? I learned the English method, but I guess I could switch. Apparently the German method is a bit faster?)
    Oh and haha I went home with someone I met at the meetup. Well, not exactly home, but we did have a fun dinner at the bar des Rigoles, as she is currently staying near Jourdain. Christophe even made an appearance late in the evening, so la boucle est bouclée :-)
    We'll see if I remember today what I learned yesterday. Right now I so do not have the time to knit....

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  7. I predict that knitting will get you lots of girls. Almost as good a convertible.

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